1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a floatation device for keeping a person afloat in the water and which is provided with an internal supporting structure and an external soft floatation structure so it can be thrown accurately over long distances.
2. Description of the Related Art
Floatation devices are effective tools in preventing drownings. Personal floatation devices come in an array of shapes and sizes. One general group of these devices includes life vests and life jackets which are secured directly to respectively a person's chest or waist in order to keep the person afloat when the person is in the water.
Another general group of these floatation devices do not secure to the person's body but are instead grasped by the person by means of straps attached to the device or by the person inserting an arm over, around or through the device. Examples of devices which fall in this second group of floatation devices include air mattresses, inflated inner tubes, and a variety of ring-type life preservers. Because devices included in this second group of floatation devices are not secured to the person's body, the person may not have access to one of these floatation devices when they are in the water, particularly if the person has been suddenly thrown into the water, for example in a boating accident. In that case, in order to place a floatation device within the person's grasp, the device is normally thrown to the person by someone located on the shore, in a boat, etc. Often the person throwing the device must toss it a considerable distance in order to reach the person who is in need of it.
One problem encountered by previous floatation devices is they are limited in the distance they can be thrown and the accuracy with which they can be thrown. The present invention addresses this problem by employing the aerodynamic principles used in constructing throwable airfoils, such as Frisbee.RTM. brand toys, in order to create a floatation device which can be accurately thrown over fairly long distances. In order to accomplish this, the present invention is provided with an internal semi-rigid support structure which allows the device to maintain its shape as it is gripped to be thrown and while it is in the air after being thrown. The support structure also serves to increase the concentration of mass away from the center of the device which in turn increases both the angular momentum and the stability of the design according to commonly known principles of physics governing the flight of throwable airfoils.
The present invention is also provided with an external soft floatation structure which will not injure a person who is struck by the device as it is being thrown to them. The floatation structure is the proper shape to impart the desired aerodynamic characteristics to the device, thus enabling it to be thrown accurately over long distances.